IEM's for a Metal fan and PX100 lover
Jul 30, 2007 at 10:12 PM Post #17 of 27
I do a bit of metal listening, although I am not really a metalhead. I've spent a lot of time with both the Shure E4 and E500. Here's the breakdown between the two:

E4
--
Pros: Cheaper (obviously), quicker on the transients, much lighter on bass (also a con), less sibilant, (arguably) better vocals. Of the two, I'd say E4s are the better bet for speed, thrash, and anything where a lot of bass could get in the way of fast-moving guitar work. Bass guitars and drums just sound much more spry on E4s than E500s.

Cons: Noticeably less soundstage, much less bass volume and extension, not quite as natural sounding as the E500, particuarly in the bass (if EQ'd) and high treble (although still quite natural).

E500
-----
Pros: Much wider and deeper soundstage (although still no match for full-sized cans, forget about speakers), much more present and deeper bass extension, generally more "melodic" than the E4s. I'd say E500s are the better choice for any melodic metal...prog, most classic stuff, etc.

Cons: More expensive, a little more sluggish in the transients and massive bass volume can obscure other details (fast moving bass/bass guitar lines may exacerbate this problem), can be a bit sibilant on decent recordings and a lot sibilant on crappy recordings. Maybe a little weaker on vocals (vocals sound as natural, but not as forward...your preference, but mine is for E4s on this count).


I think it's a pretty safe bet that the E500s are the better of the two, but there's enough of a difference in sound signature (and the E4s are good enough) that I still haven't been able to decide which one I want to keep, 4 months after getting the E500s. Both are good bets and pretty good all-rounders, honestly. I'd say it comes down to what sort of music you listen to most, your budget, and the overall quality of your recordings -- if you have lots of live/really old recordings, i'd stick with the E4s because the E500s are much more revealing of recording flaws.

Edit: Bah. You didn't mention the E500s...I guess I've just got them on the mind lately. Still, for your musical preference, they might be a good choice if you can afford them. I think Ety Er6i's might also be a good choice for you...a lot like E4s to my ears, but cheaper. I wouldn't go any further down the Shure line than that...I enjoyed both the E2s and E3s when I had them, but it's hard to go back to them after listening to the E4s. I haven't heard the Super.Fi 5s, but consensus seems to be that they're more musical than the E4s, and therefore possibly a better choice for melodic metal.
 
Jul 30, 2007 at 10:42 PM Post #18 of 27
No I did
smily_headphones1.gif

Thanks so much for that feedback, very very helpful.... scales are tipped more in the e500's favour than any other one right now, just going to wait to hear back from Metalman and then I can make my decision
 
Jul 31, 2007 at 3:08 AM Post #19 of 27
Quote:

Originally Posted by DominicKarma /img/forum/go_quote.gif
Cheers metalman, what's the build quality like on them and comfort in use?

Do you listen to any progressive metal at all? or how does strapping young lad sound using them?


I have the large ETY black foamies. I'll sit and listen for upwards of 5 hours with no issues regarding comfort or sound.

I listen to a variety of metal, my favorite band being Opeth.

I also listen to (to name only a few): The Project Hate, Grip Inc, Nevermore, Dimmu Borgir, Dream Theater, Enslaved, Machine Head, Queensryche, Slayer, Arcturus, Mnemic, Callenish Circle, Porcupine Tree, Dan Swano, Meshuggah, Ephel Duath, Vomitory, The Tea Party, Luca Turilli, Vader, Rhapsody, Exodus, naglfar, Old Mans Child, Hollenthon, and also Strapping Young Lad

I used the above list only to state that with all of the above, the Atrio M5's sound excellent.

As far as the build quality, the ear pieces are solid. The wires seem light, but they don't worry me.
 
Jul 31, 2007 at 4:59 AM Post #20 of 27
Hi. I dunno if you are interested in canalphones but the Audio Technica ATH-CK7 is fantastic for metal. Guitars have a great sound, the treble sounds great, and the bass is punchy and speedy but not boomy. They don't get much attention on the forum but they are simply amazing canalphones. They just need ample burn-in time to sound their best. You will not be disappointed.

BTW, I listen to a lot of DT, Symphony X, Opeth, Nevermore, Porcupine Tree, etc.
 
Jul 31, 2007 at 11:28 AM Post #21 of 27
cheers you two, you're certainly not making this easy for me
biggrin.gif


Oh the impossible choices... I am going to do a a bit more reading up and then decide what to buy, the M5/M8's seem to be great from what I've read so far.
 
Jul 31, 2007 at 2:32 PM Post #23 of 27
In my opinion there is no IEM really appropriate for metal. I would recommend something in the lines of Jeffreybar in post #17. I think I prefer E500 because it has more punch and enough bass to be credible. It reproduces the wall-of-sound effect much better than e4cs.
 
Aug 1, 2007 at 3:22 PM Post #26 of 27
meh, these iem's don't get that get cred, because they are in the less than $50 area, but the creative ep-630's and senn cx300's are good. The creative's are the closer to the flat frequencies, but still is boosted in bass and treble w/o muddying up the highs too much. I listen to Metal such as Lamb of God, Acacia Strain, Aborted (a lot of underground stuff), but Screamo is my cup of tea.
 
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